"nightly news" is next. on our broadcast tonight, credible and serious. what u.s. officials are calling the most urgent terrorism threat in a decade or more. it has prompted a worldwide travel alert for all americans, and tonight we'll report on what has u.s. officials so concerned. hitting home. jobs are up, unemployment is down, at a five-year low, stocks at an all-time high, but the numbers aren't exactly what they seem. on the field for a minor league game tonight, but could it be the last at-bat for alex rodriguez, who is facing a lifetime ban? and gluten-free. now it's everywhere. the biggest food trend in a long time. but if you don't need to go gluten-free, is it worth it anyway for your health? "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. we have not seen anything like this really for a decade or more. tonight the united states has taken the unusual step of issuing a global travel warning for all americans because of a credible and serious terrorist threat. now, if you remember the frustration and the fear during those color-coded high threat alerts after 9/11, this is similar in the lack of specifics. we do know 22 u.s. diplomatic posts in 17 different countries will close on sunday, most of them in the muslim world, and the list of possible targets is broad -- all things american, public or private including transportation systems. of specific concern here we are at the height of the summer vacation season. prime sites for tourists, especially western tourists overseas. our chief foreign affairs

correspondent andrea mitchell has been following this all day and starts us off from our d.c. newsroom. andrea, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. administration officials and members of congress who have been briefed on the intelligence say this is the most serious threat in years, warranting the extreme steps they are taking to close embassies and issue a worldwide travel alert for americans. a of particular concern targets in the middle east and north africa, but not necessarily limited to those areas. the administration is not taking chances. as of sunday, it is closing 22 embassies and consulates from algeria all the the way east to bangladesh, including cairo, where nbc's ayman mohyeldin reports. >> reporter: this latest terrorist threat comes as the u.s. embassy here already faces violent street protests. that's why they've already put up blast walls like this and have beefed up additional security. >> reporter: and in kabul, atiyah abawi. >> an official i spoke to here said this is one of the most serious warnings they have

received in a long time. security measures in place include restricted movements. that means no embassy car will be leaving the compound. and as for the afghan staff, they will not be coming into work. >> reporter: and the list could grow on monday. the state department also issued a worldwide travel alert today, warning of the potential for terrorist attacks by al qaeda and its affiliates against both official and private interests in the region and beyond from now until the end of august. and specifically citing past attacks against subway and rail systems, aviation and maritime services. the most likely place for an attack, the alert warned of attacks possibly occurring in or emanating from the arabian peninsula. officials told nbc that means yemen, whose leader met with president obama thursday, and where there have been at least three covert u.s. drone strikes this past week alone. >> i thanked the president and his government for the strong cooperation they have offered when it comes to counterterrorism. >> reporter: the british are closing their embassy in yemen for two days and withdrawing

personnel. members of congress were briefed by the vice president and other top officials. >> but it is a very serious threat. probably the most detailed threat, specific threat i've seen in the last five to ten years. >> when you have the actionable intelligence about a potential attack, you take the steps necessary to protect personnel. >> reporter: and tonight, brian, officials say that president obama will continue to be updated on the potential threat on a regular basis and has directed his national security team to take all appropriate steps to protect the american people. brian? >> all right. andrea mitchell starting off our coverage from our d.c. newsroom tonight. andrea, thanks. and we want to bring in our nbc counterterrorism analyst michael leiter who ran the u.s. national counterterrorism center during both the bush and the obama administrations. that made him the point man inside the white house on threats like this. michael, first of all, for the folks watching tonight who do not have overseas travel plans or someone to worry about overseas, but want to spend a

summer weekend in this country, perhaps maybe on vacation around other tourists, what should they do? what should they do differently? >> i don't think people in the united states should do much differently, brian. they should really do what the government has always asked them to do which is be aware. if they see something suspicious, report it. but as a general matter, the affiliate that is of concern here, al qaeda in the arabian peninsula in yemen is much more able to attack places overseas in the middle east and north africa. it doesn't mean they can't attack in the united states. they've tried to do it before. most particularly the christmas day bomber, but it's less likely. and i don't think that's what the intelligence community sees coming this time. >> now, as you know from not just this president but the last two presidents, we've heard something bordering on swagger about how we have diminished al qaeda overseas, about how we have had them on the run. this would seem to indicate that that is not altogether true. >> i think the -- i wouldn't

quite call it swagger. i would say we have made huge progress against al qaeda in pakistan, but at the same time, al qaeda as a group is fractured. and the place that it has fracture and become most dangerous is the affiliate in yemen. we've done some to diminish it through air strikes and working with the yemenis. but the christmas day bomber in an attempt to take down two airliners with package plots, this is a group that know house to make bombs, now how to plot attacks and is still quite deadly, especially in the region. >> michael heat err, our point man here at nbc on national security. thank you very much for being with us tonight from san francisco. now we turn to what was our leading domestic news story today on the u.s. economy and the jobs news we woke up today. american businesses added 162,000 jobs in july. the unemployment rate ticked down to 7.4%, its lowest level since '08. on wall street, the dow and the s&p 500 hit new all-time highs, but the news isn't entirely as

rosy as the numbers might seem on the surface. we get our report tonight from nbc's kevin tibbles in chicago. >> reporter: in a sluggish economy, coyote is a company that does well because it helps other companies do more with less. >> everyone is stuck in this flat-line phase. we expect the market to improve at some point. we expect the consumer to come back. but we don't know when. >> reporter: everyone in this room works to streamline logistics, finding shipments for empty trucks all over north america. >> half the time those trucks are empty. so that's what coyote is targeting. >> and that's wasting money? >> that's wasted money. that's wasted labor. that's a waste of carbon. so that's the opportunity for us. >> reporter: in an economy virtually stuck in neutral, customers come to coyote seeking leaner ways of doing business. customers want more productivity with fewer workers, and that explains today's disappointing jobs report. >> people went into the report with high expectations that the economy was doing better, and

they came out of the report thinking, gee, maybe things are not improving. >> reporter: the economy has added jobs for 34 consecutive months, but the pace has slowed, and much of the growth is in part-time work as well as the retail and restaurant sectors, and those are lower-wage jobs. just this week, fast food workers in cities across the country staged walkouts demanding higher pay and benefits. the american economy is driven by people's ability to spend money. >> it's really up to the business sector to start to help create new jobs, higher new people, and therefore give people the money that they need to spend. >> reporter: coyote is doing its part, hiring 400 college grads last year, and plans to hire more this year. >> it's surprising it doesn't happen a lot, especially with kids our age. >> reporter: figuring out efficiency is a growth industry in today's listless marketplace. >> thank you so much. i do appreciate it. >> reporter: kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago.

the man who single-handedly may have setback u.s./russian relations, to say nothing of the intelligence gathering industry said today through his lawyer he is exhausted and misses his american girlfriend. edward snowden is now in his new home, an undisclosed location in moscow, having received a year's asylum there. the u.s. remains mighty angry at the russians for that, and the u.s. ambassador today took the protest directly to the kremlin. friday prayers have concluded in egypt tonight there is real concern over a coming showdown with tens of thousands supporters of the ousted president mohamed morsi in the streets fortifying encampments that were erected when morsi was ousted from office six weeks ago. government says the camps have to go now. protesters say they're staying. william burns arrived in cairo today, hoping to head off a violent confrontation. tonight, even as he continues talks with major league baseball to try to avoid a lifetime ban from the sport,

alex rodriguez is on the field this evening for a minor league rehab game in trenton, new jersey. all of the $7 tickets sold out early, with only standing room left. security has been strengthened for the expected crowds wanting to know if this could be a-rod's last baseball game. nbc's ron mott is at the stadium for us tonight. ron, good evening. >> reporter: hey, brian, good evening to you. you know, sources are telling nbc sports that major league baseball is ready to announce suspensions of these players caught up in this latest doping investigation no later than monday, but it should be noted that list might not include a-rod. the stadium is smaller. there are fewer fans, and tonight alex rodriguez is shedding yankee pinstripes for trenton thunder blue, while baseball commissioner bud selig is reportedly swinging hard to get him off the field with either a lengthy suspension or a possible lifetime ban. >> it's in everybody's best interests if there is a deal brokered here. and it's in a-rod's best

interest because it's going to get really, really ugly. >> reporter: the superstar home run hitter has earn in order than $350 million in 19 seasons in the big leagues. in 2007, he signed a record ten-year, $275 million contract and is still owed roughly $100 million. but how much of that money he'll actually keep is the talk of baseball at the moment. the yankees valued by forbes magnificent as $2.3 billion is the league's richest franchise and could sign a number of high profile players with cash a-rod might forfeit. >> it's a win-lose situation for the yankees. you lose a highly productive ballplayer like alex rodriguez for a season, but they also can save 25 to $30 million which helps them on a variety of different fronts. >> reporter: at a little league tournament in miami where rodriguez was once a high school phenom, potential stars of tomorrow are sounding off about a tainted hero. >> the sport is about to have fun and to give what you have, right? and not to be cheating and stuff like that. >> it just ruins the sport

because the whole part is to have fun. and it just messes it up. >> reporter: now, in a press release today, the trenton thunder announced that alex rodriguez will hold a press conference after tonight's game, brian. >> all right. in the meantime, let's get those kids up to the pro level. ron mott, trenton, new jersey, tonight. ron, thanks. still ahead for us tonight, the feds crack down on gluten-free. the products may be everywhere these days, but if you don't need to be eating them, should you be?

as we mentioned before the break, our health news tonight is about gluten-free food, which is now just about everywhere, one of the biggest food trends we've seen in years. well, today the fda said foods labeled as gluten-free will need to meet new standards to protect the three million americans who suffer from celiac disease and actually need it, as opposed to those who think it must be good for them too. our report tonight from our

chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: for georgia clark, knowing which foods are truly gluten-free makes a serious difference for her daughter's health. >> it's not a choice. this is a lifestyle that they have to live now for health reasons. and so i'm choosing to buy products from those manufacturers. and i know other people probably are as well. but having the government put their stamp of approval on it, huge. >> reporter: both have celiac disease, an intestinal disorder in which eating gluten can cause pain, inflammation, and even malnutrition. gluten is found in any products containing wheat, barley and rye. but eating gluten-free has become a fad for millions who don't have the condition, and it's big business. a more than $4 billion industry and growing. you can see gluten-free food everywhere, from the supermarket to the ball fields, even on the menu in many restaurants. a recent survey estimated that one in five americans buys or consumes a gluten-free product.

that's far more than the number of people with celiac disease. erin haynes does not have celiac disease, but is a health conscious yoga instructor who supplements her diet with gluten-free foods. >> i feel better when i don't have gluten in my body. so i'm able to digest my food easier. i don't feel as bloated or as heavy, and i have better energy after i eat. >> reporter: but expert says gluten-free is not necessarily better for you. >> the gluten-free foods are becoming healthier, but in the past they've been very low in fiber, high in fat, high in sugar, high in calories. they're not likely to lose weight, because these foods have the same, if not more, calories than their comparable alternatives. >> reporter: so anyone who is shopping for a gluten-free diet needs to read the label carefully to separate the hype from the true health benefits. dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news, princeton, new jersey.

back in a moment with news of a crowd favorite returning to one of the biggest stage there's is.

huh...fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. mmmhmmm...everybody knows that. well, did you know that old macdonald was a really bad speller? your word is...cow. cow. cow. c...o...w... ...e...i...e...i...o. [buzzer] dangnabbit.

geico. fifteen minutes could save you...well, you know. two f-16s out of andrews air force base collided over the atlantic late last night. both were air national guard. one pilot ejected and was safely rescued at sea. the other was able to fly back to base. so much for turning the spare bedroom into a den. new stats from the pew research center say fully a third of millennials, those ages 18 to 31, are living at home with their parents. this amounts to over 20 million young americans, more male than female on average. survey says 63% of them have jobs and are earning money, just not enough to be able to afford their own place to live. ellen degeneres got the call from the bull pen. she will now make her second appearance as host of the oscars. she last hosted back in '07. that outing earned her an emmy nomination. the oscars get handed out march 2nd. the birth certificate of the

royal baby was revealed today. the name, longer than most kids, his royal highness prince george land louis of cambridge. it does make for a monogramming challenge. the parents listed their occupations as prince and princess of the united kingdom. and we need to at least mention the most forwarded web video of the week, the bear who hauled away the dumpster from behind the edelweiss restaurant in colorado springs. why suffer the indignity of dumpster diving when you can shop at home? the restaurant, sadly, has now laid down spiked fly wood to keep that from disappearing again. and some of the other gems from the week that might have gotten by all of us, when we come right back.

finally here tonight, an attempt to hit pause and then rewind what was a busy week. catching up on some developing trends out there, some near misses, and generally, the stories that popped up on the radar as july gave way to august and america prepares for a summer weekend. the nation has gone a bit crazy for sharks these days. it happens every summer. "jaws" started it by scaring an entire generation out of the

ocean. then came shark week, and the recent sci-fi channel sleeper hit "sharknado." now comes a totally suspicious photo getting circulated on the web. all you need to know about this is it's been hanging for years on the wall of a pub in australia. we're supposed to believe the shark ate the guy and the guy stabbed his way out. not to ruin a good aussie yarn, but the shark was long dead when the guy crawled in, the guy whipped out his knife, and it made for a good picture and a great pub story. we apparently just missed becoming part of a huge story. scientists say a massive solar flare just two weeks ago missed hitting the earth. if it had, it would have caused an emp, an electromagnetic pulse, big enough to knock out power grids and communications, including cell phones. one diplomat in washington said it's like russian roulette and warned an incoming could do the same thing. and a speech was once

prepared for queen elizabeth to deliver to her nation in the event the cold war turned into world war iii. while obviously never delivered, it was unveiled this week, and it's a sobering call to arms, including this quote, "now this madness of war is once more spreading through the world, and our brave country must again prepare itself to survive against great odds." when education makes the news these days, it is seldom a good news story. in fact, just this week florida statewide education chief was forced to step down after allegations that he had cooked some test results in his last job in indiana. a lot of folks think testing has overtaken our schools, and yet our kids are no smarter. you've seen the numbers. american students rank 25th in math compared to other civilized nations, 14th in reading, 17th in science. and so it was downright depressing this week when the website jezebel published this, a test given to eighth graders in bullitt county, kentucky, in 1912, with questions that may overwhelm a lot of today's

students like what is a personal pronoun? sketch briefly sir walter raleigh. define cerebellum ander is remember rum. some say it just creates memorization questions. others say we're in trouble. "the new york times" has reason to believe fashion is in trouble. they did a story this week with photos on shirtless men sightings in new york city. and while it's been hot, at least it's not china, where if you want to head to the water park in a nation of 1.3 billion people, you better be prepared to bump inflatables, say nothing of body parts with some of your closest friends. at the white house this week, a jovial event honoring the ncaa champion yukon women's basketball team. the president had chosen baylor in his brackets and took some heat from one of the players, and he got downright sassy in response. and then this happened. and we can't remember another case of someone flashing bunny ears over the president of the united states. and finally, because they

haven't ruined everything just yet, along comes this. alcoholic beverages, booze, wine, and beer will soon start carrying voluntary nutritional labeling, letting us know about calories and the like. of course it will all be based on serving size, which may vary according to local customs where you live. and that is our look at this past week and our broadcast for a friday night. thank you for being here with us. lester holt will be here with you this weekend. i'm brian williams. i'll look for you back here on monday night. have a good weekend. good night.

nbc bay area news starts now. god evening, and thanks for joining us on this friday. >> it's a cost they didn't see coming. a stadium expected to bring millions of dollars, but now it's on hold. the grand opening has been pushed back. why? nbc bay area's stephanie strong is live. >> reporter: the delay till maybe next mid season.

soe're talking about a few months. by comparison, the new 49ers stadium is on schedule and a bigger project. the bigger question here is why the snag. it turns out the answer is location. the earth quake -- they are excited about the new stadium. about twice the capacity of the old one. what's behind the delay? today for the first time, team president took us on a tour. >> we're almost done with the seats. >> reporter: they say they began to unearth surprise after surprise. >> we thought there was a 6 inch concrete slab. they called them icebergs. they would hit one, and they didn't know how